Rising Sun
by FuMaouChu
Summary: The world is different, but events are much the same. Or they would have been, if a bandaged man (who is decidedly not a hero) hadn't interrupted Obito's attempt to extract the Kyuubi from Kushina Uzumaki. Naruto begins his climb to the top of the world from the deepest pits of hell, and only time will tell if he will see the sunrise, or if the coming dusk will smother his flame.
1. Prologue

AN: So, the basic premise of this story is the whole "Want of a Nail" thing. One change, results in _everything_ changing. Though, that isn't entirely true, as the world I've created is an Alternate Universe, with different rules, but…well, why don't you just read and see mmm?

* * *

**Rising Sun**

**0**

**Unexpected Interruptions**

* * *

Minato faced the intruder with his chest full of fury. Who was this masked man, this intruder, daring to threaten his child, his family, on _this day_ of all days.

"Yondaime Hokage…Minato. Back away from the Jinchuuriki, or your son dies at the ripe old age of one minute."

Minato stood firm, unsure what he should do. His newborn son's life was in the balance…but so was his wife's. '_How did he break through the barrier…who the hell is this guy?'_ His foot shifted forward, as he prepared to spring into action and save the day like the heroic man that he was when Kushina cried out, and for an instant, foul chakra spiked into the room. He spun, "Kushina! The seal's not done!"

The man's hand twitched, and a kunai appeared, his voice was still level, almost toneless, "Back away from the jinchuuriki…or don't you care if your son dies?" Minato could _hear_ the man's smirk, and wanted nothing more than to rip that mask off his face and beat him to death with it. Instead he grit his teeth and put his hand up to placate the man, "Hold it, j-just calm down!" Again, Kushina convulsed, and again, the Kyuubi's foul chakra spiked.

"You should take your own advice, Minato. I'm perfectly calm." And with that same toneless, smirking voice he tossed the newborn into the air.

Through her own agony, the pain of recent childbirth and the strain of suppressing the Kyuubi, Kushina cried out her son's name, and the masked man positioned himself to impale the newborn on his blade…

Only for Minato to snatch the child out of the air, "You live up to the 'Yellow Flash' moniker, but what now?" His smirking voice was smugger than ever as Minato looked down to notice that the man had activated explosive tags that had been placed on the baby's blanket.

In an instant, Minato pulled his son out of the blanket…just as the tags detonated.

"Minato! Naruto!"

The small building was demolished as Minato hit the ground, cradling his son and absorbing the impact with his body. "Thank god…you're not hurt." He winced as he pulled a large splinter out of his leg, '_He's after Kushina…He forced me to use my Hirashin no Jutsu to separate us…gotta hurry!'_

* * *

Minato appeared father from Kushina than he expected. Which shouldn't have been possible, his Hirashin seal should have deposited him at her side, and only at her side. He did not expect this. And he definitely didn't expect to see his masked assailant being stomped into the ground by a bandaged man in white while his wife was chained to several large stone pillars behind them.

The bandaged man looked towards Minato, his single visible eye half-lidded, "I'll be with you in a moment." The masked man groaned and rolled to his feet before attempting to leap away, only to be grabbed by tendrils of white chakra that streamed from beneath the newcomer's bandages. The man's arm seemed ablaze with white flames as he swung towards the masked man, who, restrained as he was, was unable to dodge.

The bandaged man's fist seemed to connect, only to pass harmlessly through the masked man's stomach. Unharmed, the man began to laugh, only for the light pouring from his opponent's fist to intensify. Suddenly, the tendrils contorted into esoteric symbols and began to whirl around the combatants.

"Why don't you go away for a bit? There's a good boy."

The symbols glowed with a blinding light before converging on the man's fist, and began spreading over his opponent's body. They began to sink into the eye hole of his mask, and suddenly, the man was seemingly sucked into it. When the display was complete, the only evidence of it was a ripple of white light in the air and the smell of burnt flesh.

Rolling his shoulders, the bandaged man turned to face Minato; he stood in silence, expectantly.

Despite the relief he felt at the masked man being dispatched, or at least removed from the situation, Minato could not let himself relax, not with this new and unknown individual having displayed such obvious strength. "Who are you?" His voice was level, but he couldn't help but let some of his strain show.

The man sighed and looked over his shoulder at the half-conscious Kushina. "A disappointed third party."

"What do you mean?"

"Here I was expecting a challenge. A proper jinchuuriki, and Uzumaki at that. But I find only a half-dead bitch, a fool, and a pawn." The man turned towards Kushina and stretched out his arm, whiteness enveloping it once more as he approached her. Unlike the white flames he had previously displayed, his arm became transparent, ethereal. "Unless the fool wants to go the way of the pawn, he will not interfere."

Minato burst into action, appearing before the bandaged man, a Rasengan driving into the man's stomach even as his blade darted for his throat. "Stay away from my _wife_!"

The man was driven back, his arm returning to normal. His eye narrowed, "Think carefully about this, lest you die an empty death."

"There's nothing to think about."

"Come then."

Minato blurred forward, driven by nothing but his own power. The man shifted, and Minato poured chakra into his legs, vanishing entirely as he shunshined behind the man and drove another Rasengan into him. The man contorted, his hand clasping Minato's wrist without turning his body, and flung the man away from him. Minato landed near Kushina, and glanced at her as he righted himself.

The already weakened seal was unraveling; at this rate even her impressive willpower and unique chakra wouldn't be able to contain the Kyuubi.

The bandaged man hummed thoughtfully, "You're fast. I'm impressed."

Minato couldn't help but feel a sliver of respect for the man as well, "Your reflexes are good."

"How fast are you?"

"I'm the fastest shinobi in the world!" He dashed forward, a large Rasengan whirling in one hand, his kunai in the other. He poured on the speed, his vision narrowing and time slowing as he neared his target. Within range, Minato darted his blade out, intending to force the man to dodge into the path of his Rasengan, if he could react to his speed at all.

The man shifted his weight.

Ducked under Minato's outstretched arm.

Plucked the blade from his hand.

And cut.

"Not fast enough."

It took several seconds for Minato to realize what had happened. For a moment, the only thing he heard was his own heartbeat. But gradually, that slowed. Then the whistling of his breath faded into a low gurgle. Then Kushina's voice, screaming in pain and fury.

He raised his hand slowly, feeling his throat. It came away red.

Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, crumpled to the ground without ceremony or fanfare, with only his wife and killer to see.

* * *

The man in white vanished, leaving Kushina chained to the stones, with the still warm corpse of her husband before her.

She screamed for what felt like days, until her voice fell away to a ragged whimper. She sagged in the chains, broken and drained and full of hate.

"Fox."

_**My release is at hand, your spirit is broken, everything I've ever wanted is about to become reality. You choose**_** now**_** to speak to me?**_

"Do me a favor."

_**Oh, this is rich. Whatever can I do for you, oh great and mighty jailer?**_

"Wait. Just for a bit. That fucker will be back, yeah? Wait until he is, and I'll break the seal myself. I just need you to do one thing for me."

_**And what's that?**_

"Before you do anything else, _**kill him.**_"

The Kyuubi laughed, and smiled broadly. _**I suppose I can manage that, on account of our close relationship.**_

"Thank you." A faint smile appeared on her lips as the building pressure receded. Her smile died as the man in white reappeared, a screaming bundle in his arms. Her voice was small, weak, and above all else, terrified, "Naruto."

_**A bargain struck, woman. Pity, you had hoped to spare your little morsel. I'll be sure to chew **_**slowly**_**.**_

The pressure inside her soul began to build once more, and she fought it down, unwilling to allow the demon to be free and endanger her son. Her husband was dead, the beast she contained was struggling to escape to exact bloody vengeance on the humans that had imprisoned it, and her newborn son was in the hands of a killer. This wouldn't go as horribly as it could, somehow, she was sure of it.

She continued to be sure of it, up until the point that the man in white shoved his ethereal arm into her stomach. Pain shot through her, like molten metal being poured through her veins, like her nerves had been replaced with lightning. She realized that the man's arm wasn't in her stomach, it was in her seal.

In her soul.

He was attempting to _drag_ the Kyuubi out of her.

She refused. The Kyuubi refused. For the first time in her life, the fox agreed with her on something. So they pulled against the man's power, with all their might. With a mighty heave, the man wrenched his arm out of Kushina's stomach, a strand of chakra clutched in his hand. Chakra streamed from his arm, tendrils of white wrapping around the crimson strand.

With another tug, the man placed the end of the crimson chakra on the child's stomach. The white tendrils of chakra intensified and contorted into symbols, extending up the strand and onto Kushina's stomach, while they covered the entirety of Naruto's body. The brilliantly white sealing array seemed to writhe and boil as the crimson chakra poured from the mother to her son. After what felt like hours, the process was complete. A solid white circle adorned the boy's stomach, surrounded by a chain of symbols, disrupted by another four circles. Naruto Uzumaki was the new jinchuuriki of the mighty Kyuubi.

The man lowered his arm and looked at the child, then looked at Kushina, "I pray that he gives me the challenge that you couldn't, woman. Pity you won't get to see it." The man gave her a mocking bow, and in a disorienting shimmer, vanished.

Kushina hung there, chained to the stones, drained and broken as her consciousness slipped away from her. As the blackness came, she could only hope her son was safe, and look forward to seeing her husband on the other side.

* * *

AN: AND IT'S DONE. CHAPTER ZERO. Now, I know I'll probably get some complaints about the bandaged man being too overpowered, Minato died too easily, and *gasp* Obito got solidly thrashed in about ten seconds.

Deal with it. There's perfectly valid reasons why he's so stupidly strong, but they won't become apparent until MUCH later in the story.

Comment, critique, call me stupid. Feedback is always nice.

Comments with suggestions for non-Team 7 Konoha teams will be taken into account, as will random pairing suggestions. FOR I AM A MERCIFUL GOD.

NEXT TIME ON RISING SUN: We pick up the story fifteen years later, with Naruto joining the ranks of Shinobi, how will this derailment of his story change everything?


	2. Masks

AN: So, the first chapter seemed to go well, so, let's go again mmm?

* * *

**Rising Sun**

**1**

**Masks**

* * *

The night was dark, and though the stars were shining brightly, the moon was a scant sliver of light. The boy looked at the mask in his hands and sighed. It was carved from a solid block of wood and the inside of it was etched with reinforcing seals to make it nearly indestructible. The face of a grinning demon looked back at him, and he wondered if the white mask would always be his only real face. He turned it over in his hands and moved to place it back on his face, but sighed again and simply let it fall to the ground. He busied himself tightening the straps on his uniform, made of supple black leather with crimson lacquered steel plates on his chest, forearms, and shins. Not unlike a standard ANBU uniform, though more streamlined and unobtrusive.

"You know...you're not s-supposed to take that off...right?" He turned towards his teammate, her mask carved in the likeness of a smiling woman. "Danzo-sama wouldn't approve...the masks p-protect our identities...right?"

He smiled, "Yes, because a mask hides us so well. Your hair is green, Ryu's skin is _white_, Tengu moves so fast she slams into walls. We stand out, honestly Onna."

Onna shook her head and picked his mask up, "J-just put it on, please? Ryu and T-Tengu are in place. You know how they get."

The boy nodded and placed the mask on his face, grimacing at the taste of the filtered air, "How is Ryu doing, by the way, with his...problem?"

She sighed, "N-now isn't the time..." She looked down and wrung her hands nervously. "It's bad, alright? H-how much we've been in the field recently...he has trouble coping. He needs my garden to sap the excess."

The boy nodded, "He'll figure it out, and he's got us to help him, after all. Mostly you though." With a groan and stretch to loosen his stiff shoulders, he took in a deep breath, and exhaled. He looked at the target, atop a small hill a short distance away, was a small castle belonging to a lesser lord of no great importance. He and Onna were concealed a short distance from the front gate, while Ryu and Tengu were in position near the rear of the estate.

A tiny voice echoed in his ear, "This is Ryu, let's get this shit done yeah?" Oni grinned to himself at the sound of his excitable teammates voice. Deciding he might as well comply, he clapped his hands together and let his chakra gather as he searched for a target. A patrol of armed militia men stalked the walls of the slightly run-down castle nearby, looking otherwise unprepared for an attack. With a grin, he noticed the perfect one and released his chakra. One of the guards on the castle wall cried out as his oil lantern exploded in his hand, engulfing him in flames.

While the guards were distracted trying to extinguish their comrade it was child's play to slip into the estate and rendezvous with Ryu and Tengu, wearing a snarling white dragon mask and a frowning white tengu mask, respectively.

"Shouldn't have done that Oni. You know the old man is gonna be pissed when he finds out.?" Ryu's voice was smooth as silk, and seemed slightly annoyed, when Oni didn't respond, he groaned, "It could be tracked back to shinobi."

The boy shrugged, "You don't need to worry. I just nudged the flame down into the oil reservoir, nothing difficult, or obvious."

Tengu laughed, "Leave him alone Ryu, you know he likes to do these things. If it was up to him, he'd just have set the whole thing on fire and been done with it."

Ryu's frown could be felt through his mask, "That isn't how we do things Tengu, gotta do what the old man says, how he says to do it."

Tengu and Oni sighed together, while Onna simply shook her head. "H-hey, can we get this over with?"

The team nodded and scaled the building, using only their strength and climbing claws. They entered through a window on the third floor, dropping into a hallway occupied by a lone guard. Tengu disappeared in a blur of static and wind, and a spray of blood announced the guard's death. The girl looked back at them for a moment before vanishing again. She returned a moment later with more blood on her blade, "This way, the guards are dealt with."

They moved through the halls quickly, following Tengu's trail of death until it led them to the lord's bedchambers. Silently, they opened the door. The lord was sound asleep, his wife beside him.

Ryu moved forward quickly, and with a needle the width of a hair, pricked the lord in the throat. The man's eyes snapped open as the poison did its work, causing his muscles to seize up, and his heart to slow, until it stopped entirely.

Oni knelt next to the man and lowered his face to his ear, "Greetings from Konoha. There is a price to pay for speaking against us, may you forever remember it in the next life."

The last thing the man saw as his heart ceased beating was a pair of blue eyes looking at him through the eyes of the mask.

With that, their task was done, and the killers slipped out just as quietly as they had come.

* * *

In the dark recesses of one of his many underground ROOT fortresses, Danzo Shimura strolled casually through one of the halls leading to his debriefing rooms, a black folder in hand.

Contrary to popular belief, the old war hawk moved at such a leisurely pace not because of his obvious physical handicaps, but mostly as a method to gather his thoughts, and because he could. After nearly sixty-six years of loyal service to his village, had he not earned his right to take his time, especially while on the way to address one of his most effective, if not confusing and utterly inefficient shinobi units under his command?

"Wetwork unit thirteen..." he murmured softly, mostly to himself in idle thought before he entered the room, ignoring the gathered members of said team kneeling before his comfortable oak desk, as per tradition of his organization. After a moment of silence, he sat, his one good eye falling on the mask of the grinning Oni.

"You set a man on fire. During a covert mission." Danzo stared at the shinobi kneeling before him. Oni looked at the floor, unable to bring himself to retort. The old war hawk's gaze swiveled to Tengu, "You left a trail of bodies to the target's bed. During a covert mission." Tengu shifted uncomfortably and looked anywhere but the old man. "...Ryu, you did well. Your poison was efficient and undetectable." Ryu nodded, and Danzo turned to Onna, "Again, you were unneeded. Though they seem to disagree with me on what _covert_ means, they are efficient, and effective. And they seem to not need your healing blooms. Remember what I allow, and be grateful for it."

Onna nodded, and seemed to shrink into herself.

With his displeasure voiced and praise given where needed, Danzo decided to get to business, namely with discussing a matter with his disciple that he felt was long overdue.

"Oni, stay. The rest of you, leave us." With a sharp, synchronized nod, they vanished, leaving their teammate with their master. Oni remained kneeling, his gaze locked on the floor. "Remove your mask, Naruto. Face me."

With a sigh, the blonde did as instructed, rising to his feet and meeting the steely eye of his teacher and master. "Danzo-sama."

"I have a mission for you."

Naruto frowned, "W13 is scheduled for R&R, we've been in the field for a month. It's taken a toll on all of us. With respect."

Danzo's eye narrowed, "You _lack_ respect. I did not say this mission was for your team. I said this mission is for _you_."

For an instant, red flickered behind Naruto's eyes, "What sort of mission."

With a small smile, Danzo leaned into his chair. He slid the black folder across the desk, "Deep cover. Infiltration."

Naruto reached for the folder, but hesitated, "The target?"

"Konoha."

* * *

"You kept him from me. All these years."

Danzo looked up from his tea, and found a certain satisfaction at the frown on his old teammate's face. "A few years, at best. Really, I saved him from the pit. He was mine to do with as I pleased. ROOT has always been independent of your whims, old friend. This is no different."

Hiruzen sighed and began to pack his pipe, "This is different. He is different. His father...to say nothing of his _mother_. He is their legacy, and you would subject him-"

"Subjected. He has suffered the rigors of ROOT's methods, and come out unscathed. He bent, but would not break. His teammates are the same. Not all of my students are husks, Hiruzen."

The Sandaime's frown deepened as he lit his pipe and took a draw, before grumbling and passing it to Danzo. The bandaged man accepted it graciously and after only a cautionary glance for poison, puffed slightly. "Why would you reveal him to me now. After all this time, you could have simply kept him in ROOT, another faceless soldier."

Danzo nodded and passed the pipe back, sighing a stream of smoke that shrouded the two legendary shinobi in thick wisps of white smoke as he gathered his thoughts "I could have, yes. But he could be more. As you said, his parents were...exceptional. He could be my legacy as well as theirs, if he is allowed to grow."

Hiruzen sighed and looked at the folder before him, "This team. Why Kakashi? You have to know he'll recognize him. His hair...it's just like his father's."

"The girl is of no consequence. But the Uchiha has potential, and he would be trained by Hakate, our last Sharingan user. I feel it would help Naruto grow, and the Uchiha to grow in turn."

"What are you playing at Danzo? Hm?" Hiruzen's eyes narrowed and he coughed slightly.

Danzo simply grinned, "Nothing so sinister, old friend."

The two shared a chuckle at that, even as an ANBU in the rafters stared blankly at a similarly dressed man opposite him, hidden away in the shadows cast by the moon.

Their hands remained firmly on the hilt of their swords.

* * *

"And who are you supposed to be?"

Naruto looked towards the owner of the voice, and cringed at her _shockingly_ pink hair. '_Why is that a thing. Just...why.'_ "New student."

"The day of graduation?" Her voice was incredulous.

Naruto looked at her, and decided that the pink hair aside, she was rather attractive. If not for the nagging, irate tone of her voice. He responded with a grunt and nod.

"So where are you from?" Her voice lilted slightly at the end, and Naruto found his eyes wandering before settling on a blonde girl near the front of the classroom, surrounded by a small group of girls that seemed to hang on her every word.

"Konoha, actually."

The girl's eyes lit up, "Really? I've never seen you"

"You wouldn't have." He leaned in, and in a low voice, "I spent most of my life in Yomi, so I didn't get out much." His eyes bored into her and a small smile split his lips.

The girl took a step back and desperately looked like she wanted to be elsewhere, "Th-the place...with the...people?"

"The very same."

The girl flinched, and began to backpedal, "YeahI'msorryIgottagodoathingawayfromyoubyenow."

Naruto only began to laugh as she all but sprinted away from him towards the blonde girl he had spied earlier. Who immediately pushed her away as the classroom door opened, and a new arrival entered. Immediately, Naruto could feel the newcomer's eyes on him.

The eyes were defiant and haughty. Superior. They lacked the proper respect.

Naruto smiled and extended his hand, "You must be Sasuke Uchiha. I've heard about you. Konoha's favored son or some shit, right?"

The Uchiha looked at the offered hand and promptly decided to ignore it, "Who are you?"

"Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki. I'm gonna be graduating with you, we'll be comrades."

"Why are you here?"

Naruto's smile faltered. '_Musn't do it. The old man specifically ordered me not to. Keep cool, it's cool. Everything's fiiiine.'_ "I just said. I'm graduating with you."

"Why. You weren't in the class. You can't have any kind of skill."

_**You should just destroy him**_. '_Not helping!'_

"Did I strike a nerve?"

'_Not at all._' Naruto's fist connected with Sasuke's face, and propelled the boy across the room and into a wall. "You're _arrogant_! If we was where I grew up, you'd be dead, or you'd be someone's little _bitch-boy!_" He grabbed the boy's shirt and hauled him up, slamming him into the wall and punching him again in the face. "You gotta learn some manners! Else someone's gonna _teach you_."

The Uchiha finally righted himself and retaliated with a kick, which Naruto caught, only for the boy to use the block to reverse his momentum and kick him in the head with the other leg. Naruto tumbled down, only to sweep the legs out from under his opponent and drive his fist into the boy's face, yet again.

"My rules pretty boy! You're some tough shit, right? _Wrong_. You walk in, thinkin' you can tell _me_ how to do? You ain't know _shit._" _**Go for his eyes!**_ "_SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH." _He grabbed the boy by his shirt and headbutted him. The pair exchanged punched for a few moments before splitting and jumping to their feet, though Sasuke looked much worse for wear than Naruto. With a shout, Sasuke charged in, swinging madly. Naruto ducked under the punch, pushing the wild fist away from himself, and slammed his free hand into the other boy's stomach.

They stayed that way for a moment, frozen. Sasuke with his arm extended and a look of shock on his bloodied face, and Naruto with his fist buried in Sasuke's gut, a look of almost bemused calm on his face.

"You ain't _shit, _y'know?"

And then Sasuke acquainted Naruto with his breakfast.

"Well. Shit. I wasn't expecting that."

It was to this chaos one Umino Iruka entered his classroom, still brushing the crumbs of his lunch from his lips. The Chunin took one look around and sighed.

_'Thank god I only have to put up with this for a single day...'_

* * *

_OMAKE -Brought to you by Juunij_

_Somewhere in Taki no Kuni_

The bunker rocked from the force of another explosion- courtesy of a quasi militaristic bandit brigade embedded on a nearby hill, showering the shinobi within in a cascade of rubble and dust. To their credit, the Taki-nin took the abuse with little complaint, the only sound other than the resounding boom coming from a disgruntled Jonin on the far side of the room brushing debris from the lip of his mug before taking a long swig of the content within.

W13 sans Oni hunkered down opposite a group of grizzled Taki Chuunin, who were waiting out the worst of it while counter ops were being planned somewhere else deeper within the simple Doton barricade erected in haste to defend against the coming storm.

"R&R, huh? The old mans got a strange idea of it." Ryu grinned cheekily behind his mask, pointedly ignoring the glares of his compatriots as they settled in for the night.

"Yeah, well..." Tengu lifted her mask slightly to allow a canteen access to her parched lips "We could always ask Danzo-sama for some more of his 'deep strike' excursions into Iwa next time you feel like kicking back a bit, Ryu."

The young ROOT visibly shuttered before turning to the remaining member of their currently undermanned team

"Hey Onna, whaddya think these Taki chumps'r gonna d-" Ryu paused as he caught sight of the look in his teammates eyes. She'd dropped the first aid kit she's been fumbling with previously and looked positively _terrified_ "Hey Onna, you alright?"

The girl didn't respond, her eyes staring blankly at some unknown object off in the distance

"My _Oni is pissed_ senses are tingling." she whispered without any trace of her usual stutter.

In response Ryu could only throw his head back and laugh, scaring some of the nearbye Taki nin.

"O-OH, A-HAHA. I PITY THE POOR FOOL WHO HAS ANGERED HIM."

Miles away, Sasuke wiped his bleeding lips of vomit and other unsightly debris, looking fearfully at the ranting blonde just at arms length of him.

* * *

AN: That chapter was fun as hell to write, even moreso now that my beta is adding his touches in the descriptive bits.

So, W13, Naruto's ROOT squad is composed entirely of OC's. They'll be back, they're pretty awesome.

As for what Yomi is, and Naruto's...outburst? Try to guess for now, allllll will be explained.

Also, and this is fun, we're finally starting to work on setting up our proposed RP to go along with this fic. Soon you'll be able to adventure, ninjastyle in the Rising Sun universe. That said, if there are any artfriends reading this that are willing to help with graphics and maybe even character portraits, that would be kickass beyond belief.


	3. Rookie

AN: So, the last chapter was fun, and ya'll followers and favoriters fill me with the warm fuzzies. The guy that reviewed with ONLY the word "terrible" and the guy that reviewed with the...crime statistics of African American males...less so. I was very confused at the latter, and annoyed at how nonconstructive the former is. If you dislike something, say why, and maybe it can be improved?

Anyways! Let's move on to the new chapterrrrrr!

* * *

**Rising Sun**

**2**

**Rookie**

* * *

"Kakashi-kun. I need you to listen."

Kakashi was irate, to put it mildly. "He's Minato-sensei's son, the son of the Yondaime. How could Danzo do this? To you, to us? To Konoha?" That this one man had to power to do as he pleased, whenever he wanted astounded Kakashi. What was the point of a shinobi ranking system if men like Danzo could side-step the rules and act outside of the established chain of command and play Hokage whenever it suited him to?

Sarutobi sighed and lit his ever-present pipe, filling the room with a bitter scent that burned Kakashi's nostrils. "Danzo did, as he ever does, what he felt was in the best interest of Konoha." The old Kage said, as if those words alone could justify what had been done.

Kakashi paced over to his copy of Icha-Icha, left where it landed after falling from nerveless fingers when the Hokage told him who his third genin would be and snapped it open in a miserable attempt to appear calm. He fiddled with the pages for a moment to gather his thoughts. "It was in the best interest of Konoha to leave a child to rot in that hell and then subject him to years of psychological torture?" He asked with a small amount of strain in his voice. "Because I cannot believe a man who preaches peace such as yourself would ever allow something like that to happen."

Hiruzen's eyes closed, looking for once every bit his age "Danzo has always been a loyal servant of the village..." He said quietly, almost as if to himself "I may disagree with his methods, but I cannot argue his results." The old Kage blew a thick stream of smoke through his nose in a not so subtle attempt to mask the sound of his own sigh.

Kakashi stared at his leader, "You condone it then? What he does?"

The Hokage's voice was level, but he could not bring himself to meet Kakashi's gaze, "A tree cannot flourish without strong roots, however twisted they may be."

Kakashi remained silent.

"However..." Hiruzen looked at his pipe and tapped the ash out of the bowl, "I would like you to drag this particular root into the light. Gently though, he is, as all of Danzo's soldiers, loyal to his master. We must change that."

"How am I supposed to do that?"

Hiruzen smiled, "Show him the Will of Fire, of course."

* * *

Naruto wandered the streets of Konoha, getting a feel for everything for what felt like the first time without his ROOT unit's mask concealing his identity. After what he had begun to call the 'breakfast incident' with Sasuke, he needed to take a walk for a bit to cool down before meeting with the shinobi that would be showing him to his living quarters.

Despite the fact that he identified himself as a Konoha shinobi, this was really the first time he'd actually spent time within the village itself. After being sprung from Yomi by one of Danzo's agents, he'd been treated to a stunning several hours on the surface world before being whisked away again into the bowels of the earth for his ROOT indoctrination.

Thinking about those years...some of the other trainees called it 'hell on earth'. Danzo's training was harsh, designed to push you to the edge of your limits and then pitch you over ass end up. Naruto couldn't help but chuckle lightly through his nose. ROOT had been nothing compared to the real thing, to the hell of living in a prison from birth and not knowing why, killing men over scraps of food like animals in the pitch blackness of the earth just to lengthen your own miserable existence...

Naruto paused_ 'Aaand now i'm depressed.'_ he thought with a sigh.

Looking around, the blonde couldn't help but feel surprised. In his bout of self pity he'd gotten completely lost. Turning to look at where he had come from, and then toward the direction he'd been walking Naruto frowned as he realized he was probably already late in meeting the guide that had been assigned to show him around the village.

As if sensing his thoughts, a young woman behind a nearby stall giggled "You look lost." she observed with a small smile.

The sign above the stall read 'Ichiraku's Ramen.'

_'Ramen, huh?'_ Naruto thought _'Welp, no way it can be any worse than military rations.'_

Sporting a grin of his own, he ducked under the flap of the small but homy ramen stand and plopped down on the nearest stool.

"Yeah, I guess I am." he scratched his cheek idly as an elderly man poked his head out of the kitchen to offer him a brief 'welcome' before disappearing back to whatever he was doing. The waitress smiled at him again and pushed a menu into his hands.

"Aww, poor you. What'll you have?"

Looking down at the menu in front of him, Naruto felt his eyes go wide

_'Woaaahh.' _

–_-Four hours later-_

"An- and then I said- 'You aint shit, y'know?'- and then the guy blows chunks everywhere!" Naruto laughed as he regaled the ramen stand owners with the tale of his first day at the academy. Several stacks of empty ramen bowls surrounded him on all sides and he showed no sign of stopping. This stuff was friggin' great! He had no idea there were so many kinds of ramen, or that you could throw so much crap in it to make it taste even better.

The waitress, whose name he'd later learned was Ayame, tried in vain to cover the smile on her face with one of her hands as her father Teuchi added his own 'Oh my' from somewhere in the kitchen.

These people were great! The old man had given him a free bowl to celebrate his becoming a genin and Naruto hadn't been able to stop since then. It wasn't long until he'd blown all of the money he'd been given for groceries on ramen. Man, this felt almost natural.

Grinning, he scooped up another bundle of noodles with his chopsticks and slurped them down. The Ichiraku's didn't care at all about his horrible manners or crude words and in truth Naruto felt like he was actually welcome here rather simply being put up with. It was an enlightening experience to say the least.

"That's horrible, Naruto-kun." Ayame giggled, busying herself with attempting to clean the bowls that had begun to pile up around the blonde haired genin. Teuchi's head appeared from within the kitchen looking equal parts amused and worried for his new favorite customer "You should definitely apologize to that boy later, Naruto." he said as sternly as possible while trying not to laugh himself. The Uchiha prodigy had it coming with the way that he strutted across the village, expecting everyone to worship the ground he walked on for having been born to a wealthy shinobi clan.

"Haha, yeah I should pr-" He paused as a man ducked beneath the flap behind him, looking sternly around the stall before settling his gaze on him.

"Are you Uzumaki Naruto?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

"Yeah, what'sit to ya?" Naruto asked around a mouthful of noodles.

The man stood stiffly at the entrance of the ramen bar, looking as if he were weighing the pros and cons of sitting down and ordering a bowl himself. After a shrug and what sounded like a whispered 'fuck it' he slipped onto the stool beside Naruto and ordered a small miso.

"My name is...Yamato." he said after a moment, as if deciding on a suitable name for himself. Naruto scoffed, smooooth. "And you..." Suddenly the homy ramen stand twisted into a scene straight from his nightmares as the shadows in every corner of the room seemed to grow heavier. In the few seconds he had spent staring in horror at the complete shift in atmosphere Yamato had leaned across the small gap between them and planted his face mere inches from his own, eyes bulged behind his mask and looking like something out of a horror movie "Are four hours late for our meeting...!"

Fighting back something between a girlish scream and a snarl Naruto managed a nervous chuckle.

"I-Is that so?"

Thankfully the shadows and horror face bulging was gone as quickly as it came and Yamato picked a bundle of noodles out of a bowl that had been placed in front of him at some point during his...episode.

"Yes, it is." Naruto hummed in response and since Yamato didn't seem to mind, ordered himself another bowl of ramen. The man clad in ANBU gear beside him chuckled lightly to himself and ordered another as well "You don't seem very interested in a tour around the village..." he observed "Or in too much of a hurry to see where your new home will be." Ayame placed a steaming bowl before the man and he graciously dug in, lifting the bottom of his ANBU masked in a practiced movement that left Naruto feeling nostalgic from being away from his unit for so long.

"I guess...when enough people tell you 'This is home. This is where you're going to live...' It just kind of looses meaning after a while, yanno?"

The ANBU made a small noise of agreement as the two ate in an admittedly comfortable silence for a while longer.

"Well...as nice as this has been, I should really get you home Naruto-san. Genin exams are tomorrow, aren't they?" Yamato asked with something of a sparkle in his eye that told Naruto he was smiling.

"Oh, yeah...shit." He'd have to apologize to Sasuke, huh? Well, maybe just promise not to punch him so hard in the gut should the guy ever piss him off enough to again. That could work.

"Am I correct in assuming your Jonin instructor is Hatake Kakashi-sempai?"

Naruto blinked at the odd honorific but brushed it off assuming the two must have worked together at some point. "Uh...Yeah, that'd be him. Why?"

Yamato chuckled behind his mask as he tossed a few ryo notes onto the ramen bar.

"Oh, no reason. Just curious is all." The man said mysteriously.

* * *

Sakura ducked under a shower of multicolored sparks as another explosion rocked the clearing that dominated Training Ground Seven. Colored smoke filled the air and a colorful array of paints splattered the area.

Such was the strategy of Naruto Uzumaki, her new teammate, denizen of Yomi and puncher of Sasuke's face, although mercifully at least the two seemed at least willing to work together for a bit after the blonde had halfheartedly uttered an apology to the Uchiha this morning.

'Blow up the traning ground until their sensei, Kakashi Hakate, gave up and surrendered the bells, or was stabbed by Sasuke.' had been Naruto's only contribution to their rushed planning sequence toward the beginning of the test, and the blonde seemed determined to see it succeed.

Another explosion rocked the area, spewing green flames and blue sparks in every direction. Sakura saw Kakashi rolling away from it, his flak jaket smoking and singed, only to leap back as Sasuke emerged from the smoke, his tanto extended for a decisive strike.

Kakashi lazily turned away from the blade and brought the side of his hand down on the back of Sasuke's neck.

"Taking advantage of cover created by your teammate's attack. Good. But you're too slow. Your window was brief, you missed it by a mile." Tilting his head, Kakashi rolled Sasuke onto his back and took the tanto out of his hand. "This is...ANBU. Where did you get this?"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed, and it looks could kill, Kakashi would have died.

"Ah...I see. It's his." He flipped the blade over his hand and examined it, "You have an unhealthy obsession with killing this man you know?"

"In my experience, Kakashi-sensei, vengeance is one of the purist motives."

Kakashi only grinned as he turned, blocking Naruto's blade with Sasuke's.

"In my experience, announcing your presence makes it difficult to stab someone in the back. And here I thought your master educated you in assassination techniques."

Naruto grinned as several small spheres tumbled out of his hand, "Wasn't trying to stab you Kakashi-sensei. Just retrieving my teammate."

Kakashi looked back just in time to see Sakura disappear into the trees with Sasuke leaning on her for support, and just a moment before the spheres hit the ground, engulfing the blade-locked pair in multicolored smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Kakashi had been relieved of Sasuke's tanto, and the bells on his belt were gone.

"Ah, well done." The man turned his visible eye towards the sky and gauged the position of the sun. "Good thing I have till noon."

* * *

Naruto slumped against the trunk of a tree, his chest heaving as he looked at his shaking hands.

"Oh man. Kakashi is...he didn't even try."

Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck and grunted in the affirmative.

Sakura looked between her male teammates and smiled, "So...you got the bells right? Doesn't that mean we pass?"

Naruto let out a sharp laugh, and even Sasuke chuckled slightly. "It's not noon yet Sakura. This test isn't over. Not by a long shot."

The blond rolled the bells in his hand and smiled, "I have a plan. But it might hurt."

Sasuke grunted and cleared his throat, "Why? Do you plan on making us blow up?"

Naruto blinked sheepishly and looked away, "Maybe."

Sakura groaned. "Oh joy."

* * *

Kakashi entered the central clearing of the training ground to the sight of his new students prepared, and seemingly unafraid of his presence. The jounin stopped for a moment to take in the sight of the wannabe Genin with a small smile on his face.

He would rectify that.

"There will be times, in the field, when you come across an opponent that terrifies you. Their demeanor, their power, their willingness to kill. You need to learn how to crush that fear. To act against it. To act in spite of it."

The jonin shifted his weight, and killing intent washed over the genin.

Sakura threw up. Sasuke took a step back, his body trembling. Naruto rocked on his feet, falling to his knees.

"Well? You aren't moving. Are you afraid?"

Naruto pushed himself to his feet and closed his eyes. He inhaled through his nose, and exhaled fire and smoke. "Sasuke. Find your center. Find your hate. Its stronger than this. Isn't it?"

Sasuke closed his eyes, and stepped forward. "Sakura..."

Naruto shook his head. "She doesn't have the motivation we do Sasuke. Its up to us to protect her."

The two exchanged glances and drew their blades, Sasuke's ANBU tanto glinting in the sunlight, and Naruto's ROOT tanto seeming to soak in the sunlight.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask.

"You...pass."

* * *

AN: So, this chapter was fun to write, but it took longer than I expected, between my lagging and my beta being busy with thiiiiiings and stuuuuuuff.

Still, it turned out good in the end.

Just wait till you get a load of the next chapter~


	4. Red Line

AN: Soooooo, I started working on this chapter while my beta did finishing touches to chapter 2. I've been getting impatient with the pace I'm putting out chapters, which is somewhat at odds with my persistent writer's block. Ehhhh, whatever! Let's carry on and enjoy the story?

* * *

**Rising Sun**

**3**

**Red ****Line**

* * *

The blond looked at the blood on his blade, then to the owners. Ten men in various states of dismemberment lay scattered around the room. Small time gangsters, Yakuza in name only. But with no organization backing them, with no real strength, they held influence in the back alleys and gambling dens of the Red Light District.

They were scum that preyed on the weak and flaunted their disdain for laws and common decency. Ten men ruled over their little corner of the district with no fear of reprisal no matter how many people they extorted, beat, murdered, or violated.

It disgusted Naruto that Danzo would allow such a thing to happen in the village. It disgusted him even more that these men were the least of the district's problems. They were small time. The bigger fish controlled brothels, drug dens, flesh trade.

"Ah. Uh. Well. I certainly wasn't expecting this when I came down here."

Naruto turned his head towards the entrance to see a woman in fishnets, a long coat, and a short skirt. "You dress like one of the girls, but you're not. You came here to accomplish something." He looked away, and began to clean his blade on one of the dead men. "I can smell the venom on your breath. My teammate uses a similar poison on his needles. Who are you?" With a click, his blade slid back into its sheath.

The woman shifted, "Ah, Anko. Anko Mitarashi. Since they're dead, I guess I don't owe them money anymore! Thanks a ton kid!" She turned to leave, but froze, "Wait a minute. Aren't you that ROOT kid?"

Naruto blinked, "I was under the impression that that information was need-to-know. Why the hell do _you_ know it?

The woman smiled, and Naruto shuddered involuntarily. "T&I kid, this sort of dirt is our bread and butter. Oh man, how much would Ibiki love to know that Danzo's new kid on the block just wandered across the Red Line and murdered a bunch of Yakuza!"

Naruto frowned, "I'd rather this stay between us, if possible."

The woman threw back her head and laughed, "Oh yeah, why should I do that?"

Naruto answered with a smile, and it was the woman's turn to shudder, "Well...there's the small matter of your _debt_."

The woman's brown eyes narrowed, "What."

"Before these guys," Naruto kicked a severed arm absently, "fell all to pieces, I did business with them. Just so happens I purchased all the debts owed to them. Not strictly legal, I suppose. But business is business." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small black book. Absently, he thumbed through the pages, "Here you are; Mitarashi, Anko. Outstanding debt of...damn. You really like dango don't you."

Anko held up her hands, "H-hey now, let's not be hasty-"

"If I'm not mistaken, it is _illegal_ for an active duty shinobi to owe debts to...less than reputable characters. You could be suspended without pay if I was to report this."

"A-and how would you explain you being here!"

Naruto blinked innocently, "I'm a fresh genin come to enjoy the wonders of the Red Light District. These men accosted me, I responded as a shinobi should. They lost, I found a little black book. You walked in. Here we are."

The woman sagged, "Fuck. Fine. I won't say shit. So I owe you now?"

Naruto smiled, "No. Money is no object. Even ROOT gets mission pay. No, what I want is information."

"Information? Really?"

"That you walked in here, now, is...lucky. You're a member of T&I, this makes you privy to secrets even I'd be hard pressed to uncover. You frequent the Red Light District, you know the players."

"So...what do you want to know?"

The teen's blue eyes burned like stars, "This world is diseased, rotting. This village is sick. I aim to carve away the cancer, to burn away the infection. You will tell me where to cut."

Anko looked at the blonde and couldn't help but smile, "You're kinda crazy kid. I _like_ it."

* * *

Kiba sauntered down the street like the world was his oyster. After all, he thought, he was a genin now, why the hell shouldn't he visit the swankiest brothel in the village and enjoy himself? New shinobi got their first go for free, and he was a clan heir, his funds were effectively unlimited.

Not that he _needed_ to go to a brothel, per say. He just thought the experience would be one worth having.

So when he sauntered down the street like the world was his oyster, the last thing he expected to see was the guy that beat up Sasuke throwing a thug out of a window and landing on his throat boot first while covered in blood.

"Wh-"

Akamaru barked a greeting to the blond, and he turned towards the unruly teen and his gigantic hound. "Ah, Kiba. I didn't expect to see anyone other than lowlifes here today. You in the wrong neighborhood man?"

"Wh-" Kiba blinked as the blonde ducked under a punch from behind and drove up with his blade, neatly disemboweling the offending thug. Kiba noted the extensive tattooing on his arms and shoulders.

"Kiba?"

"Dude, who _are_ you?"

It was Naruto's turn to blink. "Uh, I'm Naruto. You feeling alright? I'm not _that_ forgettable. Am I?"

"What? No. I mean. Whatever. Let's just get the hell away from here before someone notices these poor fucks you just murdered."

* * *

Naruto sat stiffly as the bucket of water was poured over his head, as deft fingers worked lather into his hair and cleaned if of his day's work. Kiba's eyes followed the lithe figures that danced around them, a saucer of sake in his hand and a smile on his face.

His own eyes flicked back and forth, though not to the bodies. Naruto watched the faces. Some blushing, happy. Others disdainful and proud. Others still were lost in a haze. This is why Kiba had come here, to indulge in the pleasures of bath house and brothel.

"What's the matter man? This the first time you've seen a girl?" Kiba's voice was loud, and his laughter was louder, and echoed by the pale thing that washed the Inuzaka's unruly hair. "Come on man, enjoy yourself, We're fresh out of the academy. We get a freebie man, and I for one intend to indulge!"

Blue eyes bored into Kiba's. "I don't. I wouldn't indulge in this. Its savage."

Kiba looked perplexed behind glossy eyes, "Savage? Man, what are you talking about? The girls get paid for this! They enjoy it!"

True enough, some of them did. Some.

A girl, not much older than Naruto looked at him, her hair red like fire and her eyes green like the finest emeralds. She shivered, despite the warmth of the bath house. Fear stole the warmth from her bones, turned the steam to frozen mist.

Like a rabbit, cornered in its burrow, nowhere left to run.

Naruto's teeth clicked together as he stood, and with eyes like fire, stormed out of the bath house.

* * *

Naruto found himself on a darkened street in Konoha's market district, sweat heavy upon his brow despite the night's chill air. He gasped for breath and reveled in the open sky.

He couldn't blame Kiba. The boy didn't know. Couldn't know, least of all understand. What it meant for him.

The fear in her eyes, those trembling lips.

With a snarl, his fist slammed into the stone wall he was using as support. The wall cracked, and cratered around his fist, even as the bones in his hand shattered and stabbed through his flesh.

A tiny gasp got his attention, and he groaned. He whirled on whoever dared to intrude on his misery, "Can't I have just a _moment_ of _**fucking peace!**_" His chakra surged, and he was certain smoke poured from his nostrils.

A girl with blue-black hair stood before him, her skin the most pale ivory, her eyes a soft lavender. "A-ah...s-sorry. Its just...y-your hand?"

He looked at it, and growled deep in his throat. "It'll be fine in the morning. I heal fast." He turned to leave, only for the soft voice to call out to him.

"B-but...it has to...hurt? I have some o-ointment?"

He stopped, and turned to face her slowly, "Why do you care Hyuuga. I'm just some punk stupid enough to break his hand on a wall."

The girl flushed, as if embarrassed. "I...I guess...s-someone has to."

Naruto looked at her, and he smiled, "Yeah. I guess someone does. Naruto Uzumaki. Sorry about my...whatever that was."

The girl smiled in return, but faintly, the corners of her mouth inching upwards at a glacial pace. "H-Hinata Hyuuga."

At her urging, the pair located a bench to sit on and she gently nudged his bones back into place, and applied her pain relieving ointment, before finally wrapping the injured appendage in a soft silk bandage.

For a moment, the blond simply looked at his bandaged hand. Then he smiled broadly, "Hinata-hime, how do you feel about _ramen?_"

* * *

AN: Well, that was...I don't even. I wrote this chapter in _one day_.

Some of you might be able to piece together bits of Naruto's past, what with things said in chapter 2, and certain behaviors in this chapter. I'd love to hear what you think, your -opinions- and whatnot. Just uh, no more African American Crime Statistics, yeah? That was kinda weird.


End file.
